The adventure begins with the Prince seeking his donkey, Farah, but is caught in a fierce sandstorm. When the storm subsides, he finds himself in a mythical garden of beauty, dominated at its center by a temple which contains the tree of life. The Prince pursues and subsequently saves Elika, who requests that he follow her into the temple. When they arrive inside the temple, Elika's father destroys the tree of life, which frees the evil Ahriman. After being set free, Ahriman, who is a god, begins corrupting the land with evil. Elika's father shows hostility toward the Prince, who fights until her father retreats. Elika explains that there are multiple fertile grounds branched out through the land that she has to reach and heal, in order to again give the tree of life power, imprisoning Ahriman. As the Prince and Elika travel to and heal each fertile ground, Elika reveals her past. She says her mother died, and her father became depressed shortly after. Elika also died, but her father could not handle his grief, and so made a deal with Ahriman. Her father freed Ahriman, who brought Elika back to life in return. As the Prince and Elika make their way back to the temple, they encounter Elika's father once again, who is killed by the Prince. Ahriman encounters the duo, but is held off by the Prince, as Elika heals the tree of life. The Prince eventually realizes that Elika is transferring her own life into the tree to heal it, and is dying again. The Prince cuts down the tree of life, just as Elika's father had done, to bring her back to life. As Ahriman's corruption again plagues the land, the Prince carries Elika into the desert.